By Julie Small for KQED’s The California Report Medi-Cal — the public health insurance program for low-income Californians — is growing faster under federal health care reform than the state expected. Twelve million residents — nearly a third of the state’s population — now rely on Medi-Cal, and that’s increased pressure to find more doctors willing… Continue reading More Pressure on Providers in Face of Medi-Cal Expansion

By California Healthline California has more highly rated hospitals than any other state, based on performance metrics for various common conditions and procedures, according to Healthgrades’ annual list of the top 100 hospitals released Tuesday, FierceHealthcare reports (Budryk,FierceHealthcare, 2/24). Details of List To be eligible for consideration, hospitals had to have sufficient data to assess… Continue reading California Hospitals Dominate Healthgrades’ List of Top Facilities

By Bob Herman for Modern Healthcare The CMS plans to more closely monitor Medicare Advantage insurers’ provider networks and may fine or otherwise sanction plans that don’t accurately show which doctors are available at in-network prices. New provisions related to provider networks and directories were included in the agency’s proposed 2016 rate notice (PDF), released… Continue reading Medicare May Penalize Advantage Plans for Faulty Provider Lists

In this article, originally published by Kaiser Health News, learn about the uninsured tax penalty that many are unaware of.

By Tracy Seipel for The San Jose Mercury News Julie Moreno felt lucky to be among more than 2.7 million previously uninsured Californians to be added to Medi-Cal, the state’s health care program for the poor. Until she needed cataract surgery. For three months after her November 2013 diagnosis, the 49-year-old Mountain View resident said, she… Continue reading Obamacare: Medi-Cal a Waiting Game for Many Low-Income Californians

By Bob Herman for Modern Healthcare Revenue and profit at Molina Healthcare grew rapidly in 2014 as the managed-care insurer continues to show the business potential of Medicaid with the boost from the 2010 healthcare law. Molina turned a $33.8 million profit in the fourth quarter compared with a $9.1 million loss in the same quarter of… Continue reading Molina Healthcare’s Q4 Beats Estimates, Closes Year with Record Growth

By Eric Thomas for ABC 7 News LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) — Chemotherapy helps save the lives of thousands of cancer patients each year. But now, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore Lab and UC Davis believe they’ve developed a technology that could make chemo treatments even more effective. Theresa Madsen had just settled into retirement, when she received… Continue reading New Medical Technology Could Bolster Chemotherapy

With Half of California’s Kids On Medicaid, Advocates Worry About Service – Originally published by Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit national health policy news service. By Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News California’s Medi-Cal program has grown to cover nearly half of the state’s children, causing policymakers and child advocates to question… Continue reading With Half of California’s Kids On Medicaid, Advocates Worry About Service

Originally published by Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit national health policy news service. By Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News Medi-Cal applicants who have been waiting for more than 45 days can receive temporary health benefits while officials determine eligibility for the public insurance program, a state Superior Court judge ruled this week. The… Continue reading Judge Orders California To Make Timely Decisions On Medicaid Coverage

By Cheryl Jennings and Mike Nicco for ABC 7 News Some special guests got a sneak-peek inside the Bay Area’s newest Ronald McDonald House. This one is inside UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital at Mission Bay, making it easier for parents to see their children while they are getting medical care. Top donors who helped make this… Continue reading Guests Get Sneak-Peek Inside New SF Ronald McDonald House